Device for testing internal combustion engines



July 20, 1937.

w. o. HEBLER 2,087,598

DEVICE FOR TESTING INTERNAL.- COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Dec. 26, 1935ENGlNE 0K v N J ,7?T%% ATTORNEY Patented July 20, 1937 DEVICE FORTESTING INTERNAL COM- BUSTION ENGINES William 0. Hebler, Westfield, N.1., assignor to Charles Engelhard, Inc., Newark, N. J., a corporation ofNew Jersey Application December 26, 1935, Serial No. 56,176

2 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for testing automotive engines andmore particularly to means for indicating visually the degree of vacuumof such engines, or wherever the measurement of vacuum is desired.

It is known that the condition of an internal combustion engine such asused on automobiles and the like, can be determined by observing thedegree of vacuum present. For instance, on most engines, when theignition, timing, valves, manifolds, and other essential elements of theengine are in proper working condition, the vacuum produced should be atleast 18 inches of mercury. Should the carburetor be not correctlyadjusted,

d the vacuum will probably be lower than 18 inches.

If the valves are sticking, the vacuum will fluctuate between 16 and 18inches. If the timing is late, the vacuum will not reach more than 15inches of mercury. A mercury column will oscillate violently when any ofthese conditions are prevalent. Incorrectly synchronized distributors,ioul spark plugs, weak valve springs, and many other factors can causedefinite pulsations to be made in a column of mercury due to the varyingdegrees of vacuum pressure.

Heretofore, in the testing of an automotive engine, mercury vacuumgauges have been employed. whereby the level of the mercury could beread through a glass tube. Naturally this type of indicator necessitatesreading at close range. There has also been used for determining thedegree of vacuum, a Bourdon tube, to which is connected a. pointersuitably rotated on a gear train. However, this type of gauge is limitedfrom the standpoint of size because the weight of the pointer must bemade as light as possible as an excess weight of the pointer wouldprevent correct indications of slight fluctuations in the vacuum.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device embodying amercury vacuum gauge to which isassociated means for visually indicatingthe degree of vacuum in an automotive en-' gine at points remote fromthe gauge, said visual indicator being in the form of a. plurality ofincandescent lamps which can be spaced 'at any, desired distance,depending upon the size desired for the indicator.

A further object is'the provision of a panel board having mountedthereon a plurality of spaced incandescent lamps which are successivelyplaced in series with a mercury column to indicate visually the degreeof vacuum in an automotive engine.

These and other advantageous objects, which will later appeanareaccomplishedby the simple and practical construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described and exhibited in the accomp'anyihg drawing,forming part hereof, and in'which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a panel having arranged thereon aplurality of incandescent lamps adapted to be placed in an electricalcircuit containing a column of mercury,

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the indicator panel,

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the indicator panel,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of a mercury tube used in myinvention, parts being broken away,

- Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram embodyiim my invention.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a panel 5 having mounted uponthe rear side thereof a vessel 6 containing mercury, and extending intothe vessel is a tube '1 made of glass, bakelite, or similar materials.The tube I is extended vertically along the back of the panel 5 and isconnected toan arcuate tube 8 which ex tends to a point near thelower'end of the panel, and is connected to a valve 9 to enable .thetubeto be connected to preferably, the tube of the windshield wiper or tothe intake manifold of an automotive engine. The tube 1 is divided intoinches for a distance of about inches. At each intervalof one inch onthe tube an electrode extends into the tube, the electrode beingconnected to an incandescent lamp. As will beseen in Figs. 1 and 3 theincandescent lamps ID are arranged in a circle about the panel; however,they can be arranged in other formations if desired. At' each inch ofthe tube one of the lamps is connected with an electrode extending intothe tube. The pool of mercury in the vessel 6 is connected by a wire IIto one terminal of a source of electric power, the other terminal of thesource of electric power being connected by a wire l2 to a common busbar 13.

From the above description, it will be seen 40 that as the column ofmercury rises within the tube 1, there is successively completed anelectric circuit through the lamps ID to cause the lamps to light. Forexample, when the mercury has risen to seven inches, there will be sevenincandescent lamps lighted, and when the mercury rises to twelve inchesthere will be twelve incan-.

descent lamps lighted, and so on.

While the height of the tube I is not variable,

it is obvious that the panel 5 can be made any size and the spacebetween the incandescent lamps can be made any length. Also theincandescent lamps can be arranged in any desired manner and need not bearranged in a circle as shown in the drawing.

Preferably, the tube 1 is made of glass or a similar insulatingmaterial. However, the tube can be made'of metal, in which caseelectrodes placed at intervals of M4 inch, of inch, or 1 mounted in thetube 1.

inch or any multiples thereof, dependent on the capacity of the vacuummeasurement desired, must be insulated from the metal tube.

When glass or a similar insulating material is used for the tube, metalelectrodes can be suitably mounted and cemented,-or fused into the tube.

When the mercury rises to engage an electrode, the circuit is completedthrough the line II mercury in the vessel 6, mercury in the tube I,through the electrode contacted by the mercury, through the lamp I0,then through the bus-bar I3 and line I2 back to the other terminal ofthe source of power.

Mounted on the panel on each side of the tube 1 are two lamps I 4 and I5which may be red and green respectively; the red lamp I4 is designed toprovide a signal when the condition of the automotive engine is poor andthe green lamp I5 indicates when the engine is in proper workingcondition. For instance, there would be positioned below the green lampa sign saying Engine 0. K.. a

The lamp I4 is connected to anelectrode In parallel with the lamp I4 isa line I! connected with the resistance I6 and with an electrode mountedin the tube 1, which electrode is in turn connected with the lamp I 5,the latter being connected to the line I2.

The lamp I4 is connected to a contact I8 of a thermostatic relay whichhas an element I9 of thermostatic metal in proximity to the resistanceIS. The electrode to which the lamp I4 is connected is preferablyinserted in the tube 1 at about 11 inches. The lamp I5 is connected toan electrode in thetube at 18 inches. Consequently when the mercury inthe tube 1 rises to eleven inches the red lamp will be lighted and willcontinue in this condition. until the mercury reaches 18 inches, atwhich point a circuit is closed through the lamp I5 and also through theresistance I6.

After a period of from to\ seconds the resistance IE will have createdsufllcient heat to cause the strip of thermostatic metal I9 to move awayfrom the contact I8 and open the circuit through the lamp I4.

Knowing that internal combustion engines using gasoline as fuel shoulddraw at least 18 inches of vacuum, and, in some. instances 19 inches and20 inches, it will be seen that 'I have provided a lighting arrangementwhereby the lamps are lighted when the mercury makes continuous contactwith the electrodes at 18 inches or above in the mercury column foraperiod of ten to twenty seconds. If the mercury column does not makecontact for this length of time with the electrode at 18 inches, theresistance I6 will not have produced sufllcient heat to open the circuitto the lamp I 4, and there will be a pulsation or flickering of the lampI5, indicating that somea thing must be wrong with the engine. As statedabove, when. the ercury remains at the 18 inch electrode for twen yseconds or more,-the green lamp I5 will remain lighted and the red lampI4 will be extinguished and if desiredthere can be printed beneath thegreen light an illuminated sign saying, for instance, Engine 0. K..

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a devicefor indicating the cor.- dition of an-automotive engine by means ofincandescent lamps-which can be viewed at a considerable distance. Alsothe flashing of the lights,

is a signal to persons who are not skilled in automotive engines, thatthere is something wrong with the engine. Forexample, alongside of eachlight, there can be printed suitable explanations as to what is takingplace in the engine when that particular lamp lights. The deducing fromgauges as to what is wrong with. an'internal combustionengine isgenerally too technical, and is not thoroughly understood by the averageattendant at gasoline and oil service stations.

The device herein presented can be installed in gasoline and oil servicestations and offered as a free service to customers, and does notrequire an especiallyskilled attendant.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive andillustrative only, and not 'as restrictive or limitative of theinvention, of which many embodiments may be constructed including manymodifications, Without departing from the general scope herein indicatedand denoted in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim asnew and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A device for testing internal combustion engines, comprising a vesselcontaining a quantity of mercury, a vertically mounted tube extendinginto said mercury, means for connecting said tube to an intake manifoldof an internal combustion engine, a plurality of electrodes mounted insaid. tube at predetermined intervals, a plurality of incandescent lampsarranged in spaced relation remote from said tube, said lamps beingconnected to said electrodes, a first signal connected to one of saidelectrodes, a second signal having different characteristics thanthefirst signal connected to an electrode at a predetermined mark on saidtube, a source of electrical current having one terminal thereofconnected to the mercury in the vessel and its other terminal connectedto said incandescent lamps and signals, and means to open the circuitthrough the first signal when the mercury rises to the predeterminedmark on said tube and remains at said predetermined mark for apredetermined .period of time to make a circuit through the secondsignal, the circuits through the other incandescent lamps not beingbroken when the mercury rises to said predetermined mark on the tube.

2. A device for testing internal combustion engines, comprising a vesselcontaining a quantity of mercury, a vertically mounted tubeextendingrelation remote from said tube, said lamps being connected tosaid electrodes, at first signal connected to one of said electrodes, asecond signal having different characteristics than the first signalconnected to an electrode at the 18 inch mark of said tube,'a source ofelectrical current having one terminal thereof connected to the mercuryin the vessel and its other terminal connected to said incandescentlamps and signals, and means to open the circuit through the firstsignal when the mercury rises to the 18 inch mark in said tube andremains at said 18 inch mark for a predetermined period of time to makea circuit through the second signal, the circuits through the otherincandescent lamps not being broken when the mercury rises to the 18inch mark on the tube.

WILLIAM C. HEBLER.

